senator roy blount is the leading indicator the establishment republicans see their hopes of trying to regain the senate slipping away. they're losing ground in wisconsin, losing ground in other states and they've got to hold missouri with this candidate they have already criticized. >> i mean, the claim for why everybody came out against todd akin when he made the rape comments was that those comments were offensive. and that's why republicans were supposedly trying to dump him and tem him to get off the ticket at that point. seems now clear unless it stopped being offensive after a month has passed as they're back to supporting him, seems that was just tactical about trying to get somebody in there to win that race they weren't really offended by the comments. that just gets us back to the original defense of what it was that todd akin said. roy blount and the national republican senate committee try to get back in there they are putting themselves back in the debate. >> rachel maddow, tonight, of course, as always, at 9:00 on msnbc. and next week special time 8:00 for our prime time